LEND A HAND TO CLEAN UP
Southampton Sustainability Forum is co ordinating a pilot clean-up weekend called ‘Concrete Conservation’ in Portswood and in the Polygon this June to tackle rubbish and unwanted items before they are dumped by students at the end of their tenancy – and they are looking for local people to lend a hand.
The vision is to organise collection points in each area, to which students, landlords and other local people can bring their unwanted items for sorting, recycling and disposal during moving weekend – usually the last weekend in June. It is hoped that local charities can benefit, and that many items can be reused or recycled rather than end up strewn around the streets as currently happens.
At the same time as opening the collection points, it is hoped that litter pickers can be on the streets helping tackle what’s left around gardens and roadsides as tenants move out.
The project is already getting strong support: the City Council, the University of Southampton and Solent University are on board, and SSF is working to get the backing of landlords and letting agents who manage many of the properties.
SSF provisionally plan to focus on a small number of streets for the first year to make a small budget have as much impact as possible. They need a team of volunteers to help deliver the project on the ground, and are reaching out to Portswood and Polygon people to get involved.
All sorts of skills are needed, both during the weekend and in the weeks before; driving, litter picking, lifting, sorting, leafleting, refreshment making and more. If you think you could get involved, or just have a comment or idea about the project, get in touch via this site or contact Claire Townend at the SSF.
Email: Claire Townend
Tel: 023 8063 3009
Address: SSF, The Environment Centre, 14-15 Brunswick Place, Southampton. SO15 2AQ
Please visit Portswood.info a valued source of local information and a resource for community action! who are also supporting this project.